Hebrew SeniorLife Blog - aging researchhttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/tags/aging-research
enInstitute for Aging Research Expands Studies of Balance and Aging Across the Globehttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/institute-aging-research-expands-studies-balance-and-aging-across-globe
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<a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/blog-images/IFARBalance.jpeg" title="Institute for Aging Research Expands Studies of Balance" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-268"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog-images/IFARBalance.jpeg" width="200" height="146" alt="Institute for Aging Research Expands Studies of Balance" title="Institute for Aging Research Expands Studies of Balance" /></a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>It was six years ago in 2009 that a <a href="http://www.instituteforagingresearch.org/research/mobility-falls/team">colleague</a> of mine had to cancel lunch with Dr. Jue Zhang, a visiting scientist from Peking University, and asked me to stand in as host. At the time I had no way of knowing how profoundly that lunch would affect the course of my career. What started as conversation between two scientists getting to know each other over Chinese food has grown into a robust and productive aging research collaboration.</p>
<p>As we talked during that first meeting, Dr. Zhang became increasingly interested in the work I was doing using technology to rehabilitate the balance problems that so many older adults have to face. <a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/improve-balance-and-prevent-falls">Compromised balance</a> is a key contributor to falls, which represent a huge challenge to safety, mobility and independence for this aging population.</p>
<p>By the time our lunch was over, Dr. Zhang had offered to help me conduct a pilot study within his laboratory in Beijing. Along with the rest of the world, China is facing an unprecedented demographic shift toward an aging population. Older adults are living longer and the culture of caring for seniors at home as they age is changing. As here in the U.S., the urgency to discover ways to keep seniors healthy, happy and independent is growing in China. The time was right for pooling brain power and resources between my team in Boston and Dr. Zhang’s team on the other side of the globe.</p>
<p>The pilot <a href="http://www.instituteforagingresearch.org/research/mobility-falls/current-projects">study</a> we conducted was focused on an “out-of-the-box” idea of mine stemming from my doctoral research in older adults with peripheral neuropathy, or loss of feeling in the feet.It was crystal clear that peripheral neuropathy led to very poor balance and increased fall risk, but at the time, it was unclear why. Specifically, the scientific community knew very little about how sensory feedback from the feet is used by the brain to help maintain balance when walking. How, for instance, are you able to avoid falling when you unexpectedly step on snow-covered ground? </p>
<p>To begin answering this and other questions, we developed a device that can very accurately simulate foot pressures one experiences when walking. We attached the device to the feet of our study participants, simulating the sensation of walking even though they were lying completely motionless. At the same time, an MRI scanner took functional pictures of their brains. For the first time, we were able to see what their brains were up to as they “walked”—or at least experienced the sensation of walking. These observations provided never-before-seen insights into how one’s brain controls balance, and how aging and disease often alters this complex control system.</p>
<p>The success of that pilot study led to an “International Young Scientist” award and since, a larger grant from the National Science Foundation of China. And recently, we hit pay dirt by securing a seed grant from the Peking University Resources Group. With this grant, a new “Joint Laboratory” dedicated to our research will be constructed on the beautiful campus of Peking University, with state-of-the-art equipment and funding to recruit top research talent.</p>
<p>This is a terrific opportunity to push our work forward. My hope, along with my colleagues, is that we can continue to find new ways to keep us all safe and mobile as we age. With <a href="http://www.instituteforagingresearch.org/research/mobility-falls/collaborations">teams</a> working on both sides of the planet, we’ll be tag-teaming across time zones to work around the clock to solve this matter of balance.</p>
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<a href="/tags/fall-prevention" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Fall prevention</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/falls-and-elderly" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">falls and the elderly</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/geriatric-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">geriatric research</a> </li>
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Thu, 26 Feb 2015 15:00:08 +0000Brad Manor268 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/institute-aging-research-expands-studies-balance-and-aging-across-globe#commentsAging Research: 50 Years at Hebrew SeniorLifehttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/aging-research-50-years-hebrew-seniorlife
<div class="field field-name-field-subtitle field-type-text field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Impacting the lives of seniors by challenging conventional wisdom</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-rss">
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<a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/blog-images/5_6_14_0.jpg" title="Aging Research: 50 Years at Hebrew SeniorLife" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-255"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog-images/5_6_14_0.jpg" width="200" height="133" alt="Aging Research: 50 Years at Hebrew SeniorLife" title="Aging Research: 50 Years at Hebrew SeniorLife" /></a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>With today’s emphasis on healthy activity at any age, can you imagine a time when seniors were told NOT to exercise?</p>
<p>In 1982, as a Fellow at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged’s Research and Training Institute, I wanted to study the effect of weight-lifting exercise in seniors. Initially, I couldn’t get human subject protection approval for this research – exercise was considered too dangerous for older adults. Ultimately, I got the approval, and we went on to demonstrate that not only is this exercise safe for seniors, it’s beneficial – even the oldest old can build muscle strength through weight training. Today, exercise programs are routinely found in many <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/nursing-homes-today">nursing homes</a>, <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/housing">senior living communities</a>, and senior service organizations around the world.</p>
<p>That Research and Training Institute is now called the <a href="http://www.instituteforagingresearch.org">Institute for Aging Research (IFAR)</a> at Hebrew SeniorLife. The story about seniors and exercise is just one of the many ways that IFAR research has led to changes in the way that we think about and treat seniors. IFAR scientists are challenging conventional wisdom about aging, resulting in new standards of care that significantly and positively impact the lives of seniors.</p>
<p>This year, IFAR celebrates its 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary. We’ve grown to become one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. We’re an affiliate of Harvard Medical School and our research portfolio ranks us in the top 15% of NIH-funded institutions in the U.S. A number of generous philanthropists have and continue to support IFAR, especially the work of young researchers who depend on private funding to begin new projects.</p>
<p>I’m proud to work with top researchers in the field, along with the next generation of investigators who come here for training. Together, we study some of the most common conditions associated with aging, including osteoporosis, fractures, falls, dementia, delirium, and more.</p>
<p>We’ve accomplished so much since 1965, so what’s in store for the next 50 years? Watch our video to find out, then visit our website to <a href="http://www.instituteforagingresearch.org/who-we-are/innovation-aging">learn more about IFAR’s impact</a>.</p>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/g5KSLgbT4Ok" width="560"></iframe></p>
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Wed, 07 Jan 2015 17:19:19 +0000lewislipsitz255 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/aging-research-50-years-hebrew-seniorlife#commentsThe Growing Importance of Aging Researchhttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/growing-importance-aging-research
<div class="field field-name-field-subtitle field-type-text field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Improving the lives of seniors through focused, applied research</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-rss">
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<a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/blog-images/Screen%20Shot%202014-12-09%20at%2012.03.07%20PM.png" title="The Importance of Aging Research" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-253"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog-images/Screen%20Shot%202014-12-09%20at%2012.03.07%20PM.png" width="200" height="96" alt="The Importance of Aging Research" title="The Importance of Aging Research" /></a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>More than 70% of health care dollars in this country are spent on chronic conditions. Two out of three older Americans have multiple chronic conditions, and 95% of health care spending for older adults is attributed to chronic disease. As Baby Boomers live longer than the generations that came before them, research into conditions that are common in old age – like osteoporosis, fractures, falls, dementia, and delirium – is becoming more and more critical.</p>
<p>Hebrew SeniorLife’s <a href="http://www.instituteforagingresearch.org/">Institute for Aging Research</a> (IFAR) is a research organization that’s embedded in a leading provider of senior health care and communities. What does that mean? What do we mean when we say that aging is the new frontier? And how can we help seniors to stay healthy, active, productive, and independent? Watch this video from IFAR Director Dr. Lewis Lipsitz to find out, then visit <a href="http://www.instituteforagingresearch.org">IFAR’s new website</a> to explore how our research is having an impact on standards of care for seniors.</p>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eXoeLs3NKcU" width="560"></iframe></p>
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<a href="/topics/geriatric-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Geriatric research</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/health-care-seniors" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Health Care &amp; Seniors</a> </li>
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Wed, 10 Dec 2014 15:12:17 +0000Terri Febo253 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/growing-importance-aging-research#commentsUnderstanding Frailty in Older Adultshttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/understanding-frailty-older-adults
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<a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/blog-images/1_16_14_0.jpeg" title="Understanding Frailty in Older Adults" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-223"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog-images/1_16_14_0.jpeg" width="133" height="200" alt="Understanding Frailty in Older Adults" title="Understanding Frailty in Older Adults" /></a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>We often associate the term “frail” with older adults, particularly the “oldest old,” defined as individuals 85 and older. Frailty has become a particularly important geriatric topic as the ranks of seniors continue to grow at an unprecedented rate. As someone who has devoted a career to <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/research-falls">aging research</a>, I have focused a significant amount of my work on understanding frailty— how we define and treat it.</p>
<p>I often say that frailty is hard to define, but we know it when we see it. We might describe someone as frail who is bent over, walks with a slow shuffle, if at all, perhaps is very thin and may appear tired or even depressed. I also describe a patient as frail when he or she, for a variety of reasons, is vulnerable in the face of illness or injury— lacking the reserves to fully recover.</p>
<p>So what is going on in a frail person?</p>
<p>To stay healthy and function normally, our bodies must effectively integrate complex networks and control systems, feedback loops and other regulatory mechanisms, which exist at molecular, subcellular, cellular, organ, and systemic levels of organization.</p>
<p>Let me use a car to help explain this concept. As far as you can tell, your car is functioning properly if it moves steadily at a given speed toward a destination without knocking, pinging, sputtering, or stalling. The car in general seems to be working just fine thanks to an underlying and complex dynamic interaction between the fuel, electrical, cooling, and power transmission systems.</p>
<p>Although this mechanical analogy is an oversimplification, physiology can be similarly understood. We refer to the process used by the body to maintain a stable internal environment as homeostasis. In a healthy individual, the body’s complex and dynamic system is working as it should, making adjustments where necessary to keep the body functioning well as a whole. </p>
<p>Let’s take <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/hsl.cfm?id=731">blood pressure</a> as an example of a homeostatic mechanism. The blood vessels can sense changes in blood pressure, triggering a feedback loop to bring blood pressure back to normal. The vessels send signals through the nervous system to the brain, which then sends back signals telling the heart how to respond. Using this example it becomes clear how recognizing the dynamic interplay between the complex mechanisms that make up the human body is important in order to understand what exactly keeps us strong, resilient and vital and conversely what causes frailty when things go awry.</p>
<p>Because the human body is a complex system, its function in health and disease cannot be fully explained by an understanding of only one of its component parts. Therefore, we define frailty as a breakdown in the dynamic interactions between multiple bodily systems that ultimately results in an impaired ability to adapt to the stresses of everyday life. When one’s body can no longer compensate for challenges to its complex physiologic systems, it becomes difficult to deal with common daily stresses such as moving about, digesting a meal, taking medications, fighting infections, or dealing with difficult social situations.</p>
<p>This is frailty.</p>
<p>Treatments that have an impact on multiple bodily components, like <a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/improve-balance-and-prevent-falls">Tai Chi</a>, have been found to be more effective in addressing frailty than standard one-dimensional approaches. Interventions that look at a variety of causes for a certain condition have been shown to be effective treatments for common geriatric syndromes such as falls or delirium, which are associated with frailty and often due to interacting abnormalities in multiple organ systems.</p>
<p>Certainly it stands to reason that the complex control systems in the human body lose some of their adaptive capacity with age—think about that car at 100,000 miles compared to when you drove it brand new off the dealer’s lot. And, researchers are still working to untangle the complex interaction between genes, lifestyle and environmental issues that impact health and promote adaptation. But more and more, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxWlxD5BpJs">our research</a> is showing that with lifestyle interventions and improved medical care tailored to the multiple conditions affecting older patients, growing old does not have to mean growing frail. </p>
<p><strong>About Hebrew SeniorLife Outpatient Health Clinic</strong><br />
The health clinics within Outpatient Services at Hebrew SeniorLife offer high-quality, specialized care for Boston-area seniors. We offer a wide range of medical services including treatment for conditions such as hearing loss, memory disorders, osteoporosis, difficulty with speech and language, chronic illness, rehabilitation and wound care. When you visit Outpatient Services, you'll be treated by experts who understand the unique health needs of older adults, working to improve each patient’s health and quality of life.</p>
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<a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/healthcare-hrc-rehabilitative-care-outpatient-care">Learn more about Hebrew SeniorLife’s Outpatient Health Clinic</a></li>
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<a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/hsl-medical-group">Read about Hebrew SeniorLife Medical Group</a></li>
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<a href="/topics/geriatric-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Geriatric research</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/healthy-aging-tips" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Healthy aging tips</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/your-aging-parent" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Your Aging Parent</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/aging" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">aging</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/aging-parents" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">aging parents</a> </li>
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Tue, 29 Jul 2014 12:43:07 +0000lewislipsitz223 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/understanding-frailty-older-adults#commentsAssessing Delirium in the Elderly http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/assessing-delirium-elderly
<div class="field field-name-field-subtitle field-type-text field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New Research Sheds Light on Delirium’s Impact on Health Care Cost and Patient Outcomes</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-rss">
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<a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/blog-images/5_13_14.jpg" title="Assessing Delirium in the Elderly " class="colorbox" rel="gallery-206"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog-images/5_13_14.jpg" width="200" height="117" alt="Assessing Delirium in the Elderly " title="Assessing Delirium in the Elderly " /></a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>I have devoted <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/research-aging-brain-delerium">my research career</a> to advancing the understanding of a serious condition called delirium and the impact it has on clinical outcomes. As a medical resident, I observed symptoms of confusion and disorientation in many of the seniors I cared for during my hospital rotations. These symptoms were generally shrugged off as just something that sometimes happens to older patients. Little, if anything was done to prevent or treat it despite its devastating effects.</p>
<p><a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/delirium-elderly">Delirium</a> is characterized by an acute confusion or change in mental status, and is a common occurrence among hospitalized older adults recovering from illness or surgical procedures. Undetected and untreated, delirium in older adults places a significant burden on our health care system with costs of more than $182 billion yearly. But of even greater concern is the toll it takes on patients. Hospital delirium can cause functional decline leading to the need for nursing home care and in the worst cases, death. I realized early on in my career that the medical community was in dire need of approaches to detect, prevent, and treat delirium. In response, I developed an instrument for identifying delirium – the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) – that is now the most widely used standard in the field.</p>
<p>Recently, I <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/workfiles/HSL/PR/4-15-14_Inouye_CAM-S.pdf">published a paper</a> with fellow investigators that reported on the culmination of research from Harvard Medical School, Brown, and UMASS, which examined a new scoring system for the CAM that we call CAM-S. We developed and validated the new CAM-S system in two groups of patients, all aged 70 or older. The first group of 300 patients were scheduled for major surgery as part of the <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/sages">Successful Aging after Elective Surgery (SAGES) study</a>. The second group of 919 adults were admitted for medical hospitalizations as part of the Project Recovery study.</p>
<p>Our team of investigators based the new scoring method on the original 4-item short form and 10-item long form versions of the CAM. Then, we examined the impact of the CAM-S scores on hospital and post-hospital clinical outcomes.</p>
<p>We found that length of hospital stay for patients increased with the degree of delirium severity—from seven days for no delirium symptoms to 13 days for severe delirium based on CAM-S short form scores. The CAM-S long form scores showed similar increases in length of stay from six days to 12 days between no symptom and severe symptom groups.</p>
<p>We also found that the mean hospital costs increased along with delirium severity. Measured by the CAM-S short form, costs rose from $5,100 for patients without delirium symptoms to $13,200 for those with severe symptoms. The CAM-S long form scores showed mean costs rising from $4,200 to $11,400 across delirium symptom groups ranging from no delirium to severe.</p>
<p>By allowing us to better measure delirium severity, this tool will help to advance the field. We believe that this measure holds great promise to improve understanding of the effects of delirium on clinical care, prognosis, pathophysiology, and response to treatment. Ultimately, we hope that this measure will help to prevent the effects of this devastating condition and improve quality of life for older adults.</p>
<p>Interested in receiving notifications about our weekly blog posts? <a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/subscribe-blog">Subscribe to this blog</a> for email alerts and you’ll be notified whenever new blog material is added to our site. </p>
<p>We’d like to hear from you! Have you or an older loved one experienced delirium while seeking treatment for a medical condition? Share your experiences with us by commenting below. </p>
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<a href="/topics/geriatric-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Geriatric research</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/health-care-seniors" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Health Care &amp; Seniors</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/your-aging-parent" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Your Aging Parent</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/geriatric-care" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">geriatric care</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/aging-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">aging research</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/geriatric-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">geriatric research</a> </li>
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Tue, 13 May 2014 14:56:32 +0000Sharon Inouye206 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/assessing-delirium-elderly#commentsReAge and Teachinghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/reage-and-teaching
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Ten thousand people are turning 65 every day. The need for geriatric leaders in healthcare will only continue to grow. As the only senior care organization affiliated with the Harvard Medical School, we are in a unique position to fulfill the promise of <em>ReAge</em> through all aspects of aging.</p>
<p>Our teaching affiliation affords us the ability to look at aging from a unique perspective, which includes a focus on clinical care, research and education. At Hebrew SeniorLife, the geriatric leaders of today are working with the geriatric leaders of tomorrow. Watch my video to hear about the ways Hebrew SeniorLife is taking the important steps needed to increase training and expand the quality and delivery of healthcare specifically for a growing senior population. </p>
<p class="rtecenter" style="">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wRYY2z-yvHM?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p align="right"><a href="http://www.agingredefined.org"><strong>Learn</strong><strong> more about our movement to ReAge </strong><strong>America</strong></a></p>
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<a href="/topics/geriatric-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Geriatric research</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/reage" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">ReAge</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/senior-care-facilities" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Senior care facilities</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/aging-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">aging research</a> </li>
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Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:27:22 +0000robertschreiber48 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/reage-and-teaching#commentsStudy shows that social activity contributes to a long, healthy life http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/study-shows-social-activity-contributes-long-healthy-life
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-rss">
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<a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/blog-images/stayingactive.jpg" title="staying active " class="colorbox" rel="gallery-32"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog-images/stayingactive.jpg" width="200" height="133" alt="staying active" title="staying active " /></a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Stay connected-and we don’t just mean online! Research has shown that maintaining social engagement with people contributes to longer and healthier lives. A study conducted by Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research showed survival rates among socially active long-term care residents were greater than they were for those who were not.</p>
<p>You can build your social network of friends and family by setting a goal of getting out of the house regularly.</p>
<p>Here are a few ideas I share with seniors about how they can make that happen:</p>
<p>• Join civic, social or other organizations.</p>
<p>• Get friends together and form a walking club or find one to join at a local mall.</p>
<p>• Visit your community’s senior center or council on aging.</p>
<p>• Join a multigenerational program in your community that works with local schools.</p>
<p>• Attend church or temple services and connect with other worshippers.</p>
<p>• Don’t forget to utilize senior transportation services available in your community.</p>
<p>• Volunteer your time to an organization you feel passionately about.</p>
<p>No matter how you seek out connections, the social ties you establish and nurture will have a lasting impact on your emotional and physical health now and down the road.</p>
<p>Tell us: how do <em>you</em> stay connected with family and friends?</p>
<p align="right"><strong><a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/orchard-cove-activities-programs">Read about how residents stay active in our senior living communities</a>.</strong></p>
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<a href="/topics/healthy-living" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Healthy living</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/aging-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">aging research</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/healthy-aging" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Healthy aging</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/senior-community" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Senior community</a> </li>
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Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:06:12 +0000juliewade32 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/study-shows-social-activity-contributes-long-healthy-life#commentsThe future of osteoporosis care: are personalized treatments next?http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/future-osteoporosis-care-are-personalized-treatments-next
<div class="field field-name-field-subtitle field-type-text field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Latest osteoporosis research could lead to better treatment, outcomes</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-rss">
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<a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/blog-images/osteo..jpg" title="Osteoporosis care" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-21"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog-images/osteo..jpg" width="133" height="200" alt="Osteoporosis care" title="" /></a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>There are plenty of genetic traits that we can thank our parents for—could weak bones be one of them?</p>
<p>My fellow researchers at the <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/research-osteosporosis">Institute for Aging Research</a> at Hebrew SeniorLife (IFAR) believe they’ve discovered links between 56 different genetics variants and subsequent bone loss.</p>
<p>After examining a wide scope of osteoporosis studies as part of the <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/workfiles/HSL/PR/4-15-12_IFAR_Osteoporosis.pdf">largest analysis of genome-studies</a> ever conducted, our researchers were able to pinpoint 56 different genetic variants that negatively affect bone mineral density (BMD).</p>
<p>Low BMD indicates bone thinning or osteoporosis, which greatly increases the risk of bone fracture. Each year, there are 1.5 million new fractures that can be attributed to osteoporosis. Hip fractures, particularly, are especially dangerous to a population of older adults, upping the risk of mortality significantly in the year following a fracture.</p>
<p>Of those 56 genetic variants, our team at IFAR were able to pinpoint fourteen that directly increased the risk of bone fracture. This is the first time a link between a large number of variants and the risk for fracture has ever been made.</p>
<p>So what does this mean?</p>
<p>We’re hoping that this new information will help guide the course of further research and treatment for us and other scientists. The ultimate goal is to be able to better identify seniors that are at risk and provide osteoporosis patients with more personal, gene-based treatments that will yield better results, reduce the risk of fracture and improve quality of life.</p>
<p align="right"><strong>Learn more about </strong><a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/hsl-resources-osteoporosis"><strong>What is Osteoporosis</strong></a></p>
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<a href="/topics/falls-and-fractures" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Falls and Fractures</a> </li>
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<a href="/topics/geriatric-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Geriatric research</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/aging-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">aging research</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/bone-health-osteoporosis" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">bone health &amp; osteoporosis</a> </li>
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Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:37:58 +0000dougkiel21 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/future-osteoporosis-care-are-personalized-treatments-next#commentsNew frontiers in geriatric researchhttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/new-frontiers-geriatric-research
<div class="field field-name-field-subtitle field-type-text field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Revolutionary Researchers</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden view-mode-rss">
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<a href="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/blog-images/revolutionary-researchers.jpg" title="New frontiers in geriatric research" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-10"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog-images/revolutionary-researchers.jpg" width="200" height="131" alt="" title="" /></a> </div>
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<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden view-mode-rss"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Twenty years ago, if a 70-year-old man visited the emergency room after falling, he would be said to have fallen accidentally. He might have been treated for a broken bone and sent home. We’re now realizing that the things we used to blame on aging, like falling, actually have an underlying reason and a cause – an understanding that motivates everything we do at the Institute for Aging Research.</p>
<!--break--><p>Abnormalities found in the white matter of older people’s brain scans, once brushed off as incidental, are actually significant features that are associated with the symptoms that make a person look old – a slow gait, stooped-over posture, delayed thought processes, depressed appearance. We think these brain abnormalities are related to a reduction in blood flow to the frontal lobes that can occur over the years due to a variety of physical changes, such as an inability to maintain normal blood pressure.</p>
<p>Falls and fractures that often occur in older adults are another major focus of our research at the Institute. Place a 35-year-old and a 75-year-old in the same situation, and the older person falls while the younger person does not. Even in older people, we call these falls accidental, but that may not be the case. <a href="http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org/research-marian-hannan">Dr. Marian Hannan</a>, Senior Scientist, Musculoskeletal Research at the Institute for Aging Reserach, is studying the role that foot disorders play in falls.</p>
<p>The feet are an area of the body that haven’t previously been considered as worthy of significant research, yet they’re the foundation of our bodies. It’s not enough to have a desire to look into previously unexamined areas of health and medicine. Funding is critical to every researcher’s work, and private philanthropists are often the ones who provide seed money to test new hypotheses. Every person at the Institute is working toward the day when no doctor will look at a patient and explain her symptoms by saying, “she’s just old.”</p>
<p>Aging may predispose us to certain conditions or symptoms, but that doesn’t mean they are dismissed without further investigation.</p>
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<a href="/topics/geriatric-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Geriatric research</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/aging-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">aging research</a> </li>
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<a href="/tags/geriatric-care" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">geriatric care</a> </li>
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Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:16:55 +0000lewislipsitz10 at http://blog.hebrewseniorlife.orghttp://blog.hebrewseniorlife.org/new-frontiers-geriatric-research#comments